RedDeer.Games with a license agreement for the production of games and applications  in the Smurfs universe

RedDeer.Games with a license agreement for the production of games and applications in the Smurfs universe

The Management Board of RedDeer.Games sp. z o.o. informs that it has concluded a license agreement with International Merchandising, Promotion and Services SA ("IMPS") for the development of video games, DLC (game extensions) and applications in the next few years using, on general terms, all images of characters, events, proper names and all the story solutions based on intellectual property "The Smurfs" IP by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, creating under the pseudonym Peyo.

“We are very excited to bring more Smurf fun to Nintendo Switch as part of our collaboration with the talented RedDeer.Games teams. This is a great opportunity to make contact with kids and parents with all-new, creative and fun Smurfs-based apps and games” - says Fabienne Gilles, Head of Consumer Products & Family Entertainment in IMPS The Smurfs.

For now, the plot and genres to which these products will belong remain a mystery. The creators from the RedDeer.Games studio only reveal that they will benefit from the experience they gained while creating one of the most popular applications and games for Nintendo Switch consoles, such as nOS, Sport & Fun: Swimming, Family Chess, Comic Coloring Book and AAA Clock to create gameplay that combines fun, learning and adventure in a reasonable ratio with a message alongside iconic characters of the franchise.

The first products of our studio, awaited by the youngest (and not only), will be released on Nintendo Switch consoles later this year! The sale will take place in the digital distribution model, via the Nintendo eShop platform. Smurfastic?

“Smurfs? This is for most of us ... childhood! Iconic little blue creatures full of humor that have been connecting generations for over six decades. We can meet them in amusement parks, watching cartoons on the small and big screen or reading comic books. They are invariably part of solid and global entertainment. Referring to our segment, the brand's love affair with video games, which has been going on since the 1980s, is common. The list of released titles is impressive, and I would like to thank IMPS even more for trusting our studio and choosing RedDeer.Games as their new development partner for games and apps in The Smurfs universe! For my part, I can assure you that our team will make every effort to create a production at the highest level, and its effects will remain in the memory of the players for a long time”- says Michał M. Lisiecki, Co-Founder & CEO of RedDeer.Games.

POP CULTURE PHENOMENON

Stories about a village of friendly, cooperating Smurfs and the wizard Gargamel hunting them have been attracting children to screens and comic books for years. The blue little creatures made their debut in the comic book by Pierre Culliford (pseudonym Peyo) back in the 1950s, and animated series with their participation were broadcast in over 100 countries and raised several generations.

The latest full-length films with the Smurfs also gained great popularity (the first in the series was released in 2011), in which 3D animation was mixed with scenes recorded with real actors. These Hollywood blockbusters from Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation starred Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry and other famous actors. The three movies generated a total of over $1 billion in revenue.

In 2022, the owners of the Smurfs brand announced partnerships with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Animation. This will result in further high-budget film projects with the first theatrical release scheduled for February 2025.

THE YEAR OF THE SMURFS

RedDeer.Games will act as both producer and publisher of new Smurf apps on Nintendo Switch. This year's launch of the console will coincide with the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the Smurfs, the debut of the new season of the series on popular streaming platforms, as well as the announcement of the long-awaited new movie about the Smurfs.

SMURFS - WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CUTE BLUE POP CULTURE HEROES

  • +75 BILLION DOWNLOADS OF OUR ONLINE GAMES.
  • +1,2 BILLION DOLLARS OF BOX OFFICE REVENUE FOR THE 3 FILMS
  • 700 ACTIVE LICENSES IN THE WORLD.
  • 300 AVAILABLE TITLES.
  • 272 EPISODES IN OVER 100 COUNTRIES DUBBED INTO 40
  • 122 MILLION VIEWS OF BRITNEY SPEARS' SONG "OOH LA LA" FROM THE SMURFS MOVIE 2.
  • 120 PUBLISHERS IN OVER  90
  • 100 MILLION SCHLEICH FIGURINES.
  • 99 i 1 SMURF CHARACTERS.
  • 55 TRANSLATIONS OF THE NAME "SMURFS".
  • 14 MILLION FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS.
  • 3 THEME PARKS.
  • 1 SMURFS HARIBO SWEET EATEN EACH MINUTE ACROSS THE WORLD.

INTERNATIONAL MERCHANDISING, PROMOTION AND SERVICES SA („IMPS”) - THE SMURFS

IMPS, together with LAFIG Belgium, are the official licensors of the little blue heroes - The Smurfs. Over the years, IMPS has worked closely with its agents around the world to develop the successful merchandising, retail and co-branding promotions, publishing, digital and video games, theme parks, live shows and family entertainment experiences that have made the Smurfs a success. IMPS is led by Véronique Culliford, daughter of Pierre Culliford, the creator of The Smurfs, who is better known by his stage name Peyo. Véronique has been running IMPS since 1984 and, together with LAFIG Belgium, controls the Smurf character rights and Smurf licensing worldwide.

PEYO

Pierre Culliford (known as Peyo) was born in Brussels on 25 June 1928. He started his working life at the age of 15. He began as a cinema projectionist, and then went to work in an animation studio.

It was not until he joined the magazine Spirou that he found success with Johan & Peewit. And it was as part of this series that he created the Smurfs. Following their appearance, Peyo continued working on the adventures of Johan & Peewit and of Pussy the cat. He also created Benoît Brisefer (later Benny Breakiron), an extraordinarily strong little boy. But eventually the worldwide success of the Smurfs consumed all his energy. And he dedicated himself fully to their epic story, in all its aspects, until his death in 1992.

The qualities he possessed and that contributed to his art, his success and timeless work were clear narration, humour full of poetry, a strong graphic style and constant creativity... Not forgetting values that transcend generations such as tolerance, faith in the future and respect for others. Today, Peyo’s family and staff continue his work in the same spirit.

 REDDEER.GAMES SP. Z O.O.

RedDeer.Games (RDG) is an independent development studio with operational activities on the gaming market since the fourth quarter of 2019. After less than two and a half years, the company made its debut among the top Polish game developers in the Forbes monthly ranking: “TOP 50 game developers in Poland 2022”  taking 40th place with a valuation of PLN 56 million.

In September 2022, the studio received the Research and Development Awards 2022, awarded by Acquisition International Magazine in the category Best Fastest Growing GameDev Company (Central Europe). In November 2022, RedDeer.Games was selected by Google for Startups, Dealroom.co,  Atomico VC/PE and Credo VC/PE as one of the Top CEE gaming startups!  

RDG is a producer and publisher of its own indie games and titles of other producers sold worldwide in the digital distribution model, through dedicated platforms, in particular Nintendo eShop, Microsoft Store and STEAM, which are the largest distributors of games and applications in the world. The company's plans for 2023 include the expansion of publishing activities on the PlayStation Store and App Store (Apple) platforms.

The company is one of the largest publishers of Nintendo Switch games. Games from our studio regularly appear in the TOP 10 sales on the Nintendo Switch eShop in all regions, as well as in the recently added new eShop section "Trending by Play Time".

Combining the expertise of a team of passionate designers, artists, musicians, developers and producers, the studio creates fun and engaging indie games. Teaser of released games in the period 2019-2022 available at this link VIDEO.

Currently, the company has nearly 100 contracted titles in its portfolio, all announcements and games released by RedDeer.Games are available HERE.

The year 2022/2023 is a breakthrough for the company, which, after three years of operating in the indie segment, plans to expand its competence in the production of games based on Premium (IP) licenses and the AA category.

INVESTOR RELATIONS TEAM

e-mail: investor-relations@reddeergames.com

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#LET THE FUN BEGIN!

 

Current information about the activities of the PMPG Polskie Media SA (GPW: PMPG) can be found on the company's website, as well as on its profiles on social networks Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.